Democratic and Social Center – People's Party

Infobox_Portuguese_Political_Party
party_name = Centro Democrático e Social / Partido Popular
party_articletitle = Partido Popular
party_
leader = Paulo Portas
foundation = 1974 Centro Democrático e Social
1993 Centro Democrático e Social/Partido Popular
ideology = Christian Democracy,
Conservatism,
Classical liberalism
position = Centre-right
international = International Democrat Union| european = European Democrat Union| european parliament group = European People's Party–European Democrats
colours = Blue and Yellow
headquarters = Largo Adelino Amaro da Costa, 5 1149-063 Lisboa
website = [http://www.partido-popular.pt http://www.partido-popular.pt]

The Democratic and Social Centre – People's Party (Portuguese: "Centro Democrático e Social – Partido Popular", pronounced|pɐɾˈtidu du ˈsẽtɾu dɨmuˈkɾatiku i susiˈaɫ pɐɾˈtidu pupuˈlaɾ, or CDS-PP) is a Portuguese centre-right political party, with an ideological foundation on Christian democracy, Conservatism and Classical liberalism, founded in July 19, 1974, by Diogo Freitas do Amaral, Adelino Amaro da Costa, Basílio Horta, Vitor Sá Machado, Valentim Xavier Pintado, João Morais Leitão e João Porto. In voting ballots its name appears only as People's Party, with the acronym CDS-PP unchanged.

It has been in various governments, always in coalition: with the Socialist Party (Partido Socialista, PS) of Mário Soares, the Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Democrata, PSD) and the People's Monarchist Party (Partido Popular Monárquico, PPM) in the Democratic Alliance (Aliança Democrática, AD) from 1978 to 1980, and again with the PSD after the legislative election of 2002.

In the Portuguese legislative election of 2005 held in February 20, the party has elected 12 deputies to the Assembly of the Republic. The outcome of the election was considered behind the expectations by the party leader at the time, Paulo Portas, which has presented his resignation.

The CDS/PP current leader is Paulo Portas which has a parliamentary group of 12 deputies out of 230 seats in the Assembly of the Republic.

In the Portuguese abortion referendum, 2007 the party officially positioned itself against the legalization of abortion up to ten weeks of pregnancy.

The party's two members in the European Parliament sit in the ED section of the EPP-ED Group.

The party also has autonomous organizations which share its political beliefs, the People's Youth (Juventude Popular) and the Federation of the Christian Democrat Workers (Federação dos Trabalhadores Democratas Cristãos).

History

Foundation

The Democratic and Social Centre was founded in July 19, 1974. By that time, Portugal was living an unstable political moment: instability, violence and great social tensions were pumping after the Carnation Revolution held at April 25 of the same year. The then CDS declared itself as a party rigorously at the centre of the political spectrum, but by then it already counted with a major slice of the Portuguese right-wing in its affiliations. In January 13, 1975, the leaders of the CDS delivered at the Supreme Court of Justice the necessary documentation to legalize the party. The first congress was held in January 25, 1975, at the Rosa Mota Pavilion, Oporto.

First years of opposition

After March 25, 1975, a regime centred in social matters, state control of the economy and military leadership has began its efforts to dominate the nation, which summed up with the COPCON (a post-revolutionary military organization founded in 1974) and the constant attacks perpretated to the western social democrat model, has led the CDS to declare itself officially has an opposition party. Its 16 deputies voted alone against the Constitution of 1976 of socialist influence, in April 2. In the legislative election of 1976, the CDS achieved its objectives by getting elected 42 deputies and so ultrapassing the Portuguese Communist Party (Partido Comunista Português, PCP).

The Democratic Alliance

In 1979 the CDS proposed an electoral front to the Social Democratic Party and to the People’s Monarchist Party. That proposal originated the Democratic Alliance, known by AD (Portuguese: Aliança Democrática), headed by Francisco Sá Carneiro, which won the legislative election of 1979 and 1980.

In the AD governments the CDS was represented by five ministers and ten secretaries of state, with the president of the party, Diogo Freitas do Amaral, being nominated do the offices of Vice Prime-Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs (later being nominated to the offices of Vice Prime-Minister and Minister of National Defense).

In the night of December 4, 1980, the then Prime-Minister of Portugal, Francisco Sá Carneiro, Minister of National Defense, Adelino Amaro da Costa, and others, died on a plane crash. The president of the CDS, Diogo Freitas do Amaral, has so occupied the office of Francisco Sá Carneiro until the nomination of a new government, this time headed by Francisco Pinto Balsemão. The VII Constitutional Government concluded its mandate at September 4, 1981, after the resign of Freitas do Amaral from the government and from the presidency of the party, putting an end to the AD.

An opposition of 20 years

After de disintegration of the AD, the party started looking for a new leadership and new strategies. Freitas do Amaral successor was Adriano Moreira, which confronted with negative results to the party, decided not to re-candidate himself. As such, the founder Freitas do Amaral returned to the presidency of the party, reduced by then to 4 deputies (later 5) in a period of great political success to the PSD of Aníbal Cavaco Silva. Freitas do Amaral finally left the party in 1992.

In 1992 a new generation took over the party and in March of that year, at the party’s X Congress, the ex-president of the Centrist Youth (the then youth organization of the CDS), Manuel Monteiro, was elected to the presidency. A year after, an extraordinary congress, added the expression “Partido Popular” to the original name of the party, being the party renamed to Centro Democrático e Social/Partido Popular (Democratic and Social Centre/People’s Party).

In the legislative election of 1995, the CDS/PP experienced an electoral recovery, electing 15 deputies. However, in 1997, after an electoral failure in the autarchic election, Manuel Monteiro resigns, and a new congress is held in Braga, won by Paulo Portas, defeating Maria José Nogueira Pinto. Paulo Portas proposes the reconciliation within the party and a return to the Christian democrat matrix. In the legislative election held in 1999 the CDS/PP achieved its objective of keeping its parliamentary group of 15 deputies.

The "Democratic Coalition"

After a massive electoral defeat at the autarchic election of 2001, the then prime-minister António Guterres (from the PS) resigned from office. As such, a legislative election was held in 2002, with the PSD winning with a relative majority. Given the circumstances, twenty years after, the PSD celebrated with the CDS/PP a coalition to constitute government. The CDS/PP gained three ministries: Paulo Portas at the Ministry of Defence, Bagão Felix at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Celeste Cardona at the Ministry of Justice.

In the summer of 2004, the then prime-minister José Manuel Durão Barroso, left its charge as prime-minister to assume the presidency of the European Commission, having the President of the Republic nominated a new PSD-CDS/PP government presided by Pedro Santana Lopes. The new government enjoyed low popularity and after four months the President of the Republic dissolved the parliament and a new election was held.

Portuguese legislative election of 2005

The CDS/PP concurred alone and with great expectations in the legislative election of 2005. Its ministers were known by its rightness and convictions and the party established ambitious objectives: keep the party as the third national political force, impede the PS of reaching an absolute majority and reach the 10% of vote intentions. All of these objectives failed, and the CDS/PP lost two of its 14 deputies. This, allied to the huge electoral defeat of the PSD, led Paulo Portas to resign from the presidency of the party and to the convocation of a new congress.

"Portugal 2009"

After the resign of Paulo Portas, who charismatically headed the CDS/PP for seven years, the party was feeling “orphan”, and the absence of candidates accentuated that feeling. Two candidates then emerged: Telmo Correia and José Ribeiro e Castro, with the first being looked as a favourite, following the line and style of Paulo Portas. However, José Ribeiro e Castro conquered the congress with its motion “Portugal 2009”, being elected. In the day after, José Ribeiro e Castro was elected president of the CDS/PP. In May 2007, however, Paulo Portas was again elected as the leader of the party.

Position on abortion

The CDS/PP has since ever strongly opposed the legalization of abortion in Portugal and is officially a pro-life party. It has campaigned vigorously against the legalization of abortion up to ten weeks in the Portuguese abortion referendum, 1998 and in the Portuguese abortion referendum, 2007, in the sense that under the current law, abortions are allowed up to 12 weeks if the mother's life or mental or physical health is at risk, up to 16 weeks in cases of rape and up to 24 weeks if the child may be born with an incurable disease or deformity and the new law proposal will allow abortions on request up to the tenth week. The CDS/PP has proposed what it considers to be responsible alternatives based on the "right to life" to solve the problem of illegal abortion and of abortion itself.

Legislative election results (1974-2005)

List of leaders

*Diogo Freitas do Amaral
*Francisco Lucas Pires
*Adriano Moreira
*Manuel Monteiro
*Paulo Portas
*José Ribeiro e Castro

External links

* [http://www.partido-popular.pt/ Partido Popular - CDS/PP] official site
* [http://www.juventudepopular.org/ Juventude Popular - JP] official site
* [http://www.ftdc.pt/ Federeção dos Trabalhores Democrata Cristãos - FTDC] official site
* [http://www.epp-ed.org/ Partido Popular Europeu e Democratas Europeus - PPE-DE] official site
* [http://www.idu.org/ International Democrat Union] official site